Border ContractsPublic register

Comoros · ID documents

Biometric identity documents BOT programme

In operation Status as of 28 December 2017 · Funding type: Concession or PPP

Comoros contracted Semlex for biometric passports and identity documents under a BOT arrangement in 2007 1. Parliamentary examination of the economic-citizenship programme later raised control concerns but stated limits to its evidence and remit. Semlex's response said it had no authority to decide passport eligibility 2. The record distinguishes the supplier's document-production role from citizenship decisions. It records the historical agreement, not current operating status. Later termination, replacement and judicial outcomes remain primary-source verification gaps. No programme-wide citizenship receipts are treated as the supplier's contract price.

Key terms

Read the guide to API and PNR passenger data.

Buyer
Union of the Comoros, Presidency Cabinet responsible for defence 1
Vendor
Semlex Europe SA
Vendor based in
Belgium 1,2
Signed
25 October 2007 1
Duration
Initial ten years, renewed in 2016 on terms not reproduced 1
Value
Not published
Funding
concession/PPP, build-operate-transfer 1
Procurement route
Not published
System ownership
Not published
Data terms
Commission reported the central server in Brussels. Contractual retention and access provisions are not reproduced 1

Timeline

  1. Signed or started: 25 October 2007 1
  2. 2017: the parliamentary commission recorded production-control concerns and former DNST director Hair-ElKarim Hilali's account of duplicate-passport weaknesses. Page 49 expressly states that officials had no proof of fraudulent production by Semlex and that assessing contract compliance was outside its remit 1.
  3. In its 28 December 2017 statement responding to reporting about Comoros, Semlex denied deciding who received passports and said eligibility and delivery were solely the authorities' responsibility 2. This is the company's position, not a judicial finding.
  4. 28 December 2017: Recorded status is In operation.

Sources

  1. Assembly of the Union of the Comoros: economic-citizenship inquiry, section 3.2.7, pages 47-49 (2017 report, mirrored by Citizenship Rights in Africa)
  2. Semlex company statement dated 28 December 2017, republished by La Gazette des Comores on 29 December 2017

Fields marked "Not published" or "Not confirmed" could not be established from an official or reliable source. If you hold a document that fills a gap or corrects an entry, write to [email protected]. Last checked 19 October 2026.

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